Climate Fintech Credit Card Consultant

almost 3 years ago
Full time role
California, US... more
California, US... more

Job Description

The Opportunity 

New Energy Nexus is looking for an experienced and driven Climate Fintech Credit Card Consultant to help our team design and execute upon a “Climate Credit Card Challenge” which we will build and launch over the next 6 months. This effort will bring together the latest innovators and technologies in instant payments, digital wallets, credit assessment and combine them with the goal of decarbonizing the way we spend, the things we buy, and the rewards we reap. Now that almost all major banks or card carriers have made net-zero carbon commitments, a “challenge” will engage key stakeholders, give visibility to the opportunity at hand, and showcase the innovations with the most potential on a global stage.

Credit cards are a powerful mechanism both familiar to the American consumer, and of paramount importance to the credit system. By infusing this capitalist tool with climate benefits and incentivizing good behavior, perhaps there is no greater gateway to decarbonizing the average American consumer and their daily lives.  According to Shift Processing, a credit card processing company, 1.06 billion credit cards are in use in the United States (compared to 2.8 billion worldwide) and Americans are 40% more likely to use a credit card for a purchase than other methods. With the recent groundswell around climate action and decarbonization, now is massive opportunity to develop the right climate-oriented credit card products and services, challenge existing award systems and structures, and apply public pressure on the credit card companies themselves. A minor normalization of climate in credit card basic function could potentially direct billions of dollars to environmental organizations, finance off-grid solar in the global south, and result in millions of tons of carbon to be offset, all while empowering and educating the average American consumer.

This initiative is part of our larger global Climate Fintech Program that aims to foster digital financial technology which is helping to catalyze decarbonization. Our goal is to guide entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and technologists with the help of financial product specialists and climate advocacy in the credit card space and to make this omnipresent “plastic” more meaningful. 

The Project

The consulting assignment will encompass a three-phase approach that will build on the current Climate Fintech Accelerator strategy and leverage New Energy Nexus’ global network, expertise in building accelerator programs and startup ecosystems.

Phase 1 will include a brief pre-launch scoping study and landscape assessment of current climate credit card products.

Phase 2 will include program planning and the recruitment of corporate sponsors and the alignment of problem statements to be incorporated into the challenge.

Phase 3 will include the execution, management and coordination of the challenge between startups and corporates culminating into Virtual Demo Day and Award Ceremony.  

The assignment will be remote with occasional meetings with banks and credit card companies if deemed necessary and safe.

 

Key Responsibilities

The Climate Fintech Credit Card Consultant will focus on work in three phases:

 Phase 1 - Landscape Assessment and Product Analysis (June - July) 

  1. Conduct landscape analysis on current climate credit card offerings, products, trends, challenges, cost structures, regulations
  2. Exploring top-down incentives and reward program structures of traditional credit cards that could adopt climate-aligned measures
  3. Highlight cutting-edge digital wallet credit card replacements and trends of note
  4. Distill complex regulatory requirements that could be non-starters for certain innovations
  5. Summarize findings in a succinct guide that will help drive dialogue in the space and direction of the challenge among select banks and card carriers

 Phase 2 - Corporate Sponsorship Recruitment and Program Planning (July - August)

  1. Work alongside Climate Fintech team to recruit banks and card carriers to sponsor the challenge and develop problem statements that align with their internal strategy, participate in startup/team selection
  2. Support development of corporate sponsorship strategy, materials and presentation
  3. Coordinate challenge planning and execution with vendors, partners and team
  4. Work closely with the Climate Fintech team to coordinate simultaneous initiatives in Europe and China

 Phase 3 – Open Call for Applications and Application Management (September – November) 

  1. Distribute the “summary of findings” to participants and sponsor stakeholders
  2. Recruit teams/entrepreneurs/startups to participate in the Climate Credit Card Challenge through channel partners, marketing, events (offline/online) and social media
  3. Facilitate selection and due diligence with partners and sponsors to select finalists
  4. Launch and facilitate Virtual Demo Day and Award Ceremony
  5. Develop a post-challenge ‘Application Summary’ that includes an analysis of solutions, participants, finalists and process
  6. Create a post-challenge marketing and PR campaign that highlights the finalists and their solutions
  7. Integrate learnings, strategic partners and sponsors, and best practices into summary of findings and into larger Climate Fintech accelerator rollout in the United States

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for this engagement is an entrepreneur – someone who is curious, resourceful, operates effectively under pressure and adapts quickly within a system of moving parts. 

The ideal candidate has:

  • 5+ years mid-level experience in building and developing credit cards or digital wallet products for banks, card carriers, or fintechs.
  • Skilled at distilling market trends, cost structures, consumer behavior, financial regulations and identifying areas of opportunity for new product ideas and reward mechanisms
  • Comfortable quickly shifting from an analytical research and writing role, onto a business development and marketing role based on core findings
  • A clear-eyed vision and that the business functions of credit cards and consumer behavior can be leveraged and modified to help decarbonize everyone’s relationship with credit cards
  • An interest in supporting Climate Fintech entrepreneurs around the world
  • A team player who has excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with partners and our global staff
  • Excellent public speaking abilities and isn’t camera-shy
  • A leadership coach mindset that has an eye for talent and the energy to motivate his/her team to perform at their best 

All of New Energy Nexus’ resources will be at your disposal. Join our dynamic global team and build a global initiative that moves clean energy forward.

The Organization

New Energy Nexus is an international organization that supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, accelerators, and networks. We started in California and have expanded operations into China, India, Southeast Asia, East Africa and Europe. Our mission is to support diverse entrepreneurs to drive innovation and build equity in the global clean energy economy. Our goal is to support 100,000 startups to succeed by 2030 – a decisive decade in our collective struggle with climate change. With our network, we directly boost hundreds of entrepreneurs annually while uplifting thousands more. Since 2004, New Energy Nexus (up until recently known as California Clean Energy Fund) has leveraged $1.5 billion in investment, invested in over 100 clean energy enterprises, and launched industry-leading centers for solution collaboration. Learn more at www.newenergynexus.com.

Benefits

New Energy Nexus values and celebrates diversity among our employees and in our movement. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer - all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, family/marital status or veteran status. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. We compensate competitively, provide great benefits and offer a supportive culture. To be considered, please submit your resume and a cover letter expressing your passion for the mission and why you’re right for the role. 

Deadline for Applications – May 15, 2021

Short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews

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